Trotsky (A.K.A Lev Bronstein):

• The most likely successor of Lenin. A talented speaker, writer and thinker. Loyal and uncompromising.

• Joined the Bolsheviks in 1917. Before this he was a strong supporter of the Mensheviks. He returned to Russia in 1917 when the Provisional Government came to power.

• A leading and powerful member of the Bolshevik Party. He played a leading role in many key events. He worked closely with Lenin on the Kornilov Plot and November 1917 Revolution. He was President of the Petrograd Soviet and organised the Red Guard. He was the chief negotiator of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. As Commissar for War, he created the Red Army and led it to victory in the Civil War.

• Lenin believed he was the most able man in the Central Committee.

• Trotsky’s political ideas were highly original. He believed strongly in the idea of “Permanent Revolution”. He felt Communism could not survive in the Soviet Union unless the Communist Revolution spread to other countries. He argued it was the duty of the Soviet Union to help revolutionary groups in other countries. Unless there were revolutions in the West, capitalist nations might join together and beat Communist Russia.

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• Converted to Bolshevism quite late (1917). He had spoken against Lenin prior to this.

• Could be arrogant and prone to flashes of temper. Lenin warned that he displayed, “excessive self-assurance”.

• Of Jewish origin. Russia was traditionally anti-Semitic

• Only held a narrow basis of support within the Party. His glorious role in the Revolution and Civil War provoked suspicion and jealousy. He was viewed as a possible dictator. It was feared he would use the Red Army to gain power. 

• The inclusion of ex-Tsarists in the Red Army was criticised. It was also run on traditional, hierarchical lines.

• He spent long periods touring Russia during the Civil War. (Time Stalin spent gathering allies)

• His political ideas had a tendency to work against him. Because he created his own policies he had to uphold them, no matter how unpopular that made him. The idea of Permanent Revolution is testimony to this.

• He did not attend Lenin’s funeral. This was a fatal blow to his prestige. Accounts state he was in Southern Russia recovering from malaria when Lenin died. He later claimed he had phoned Moscow to find out the date of the funeral but Stalin had given him the wrong date.

• Felt it was ‘beneath him’ to get involve in a public struggle for power. He was one person who refused to publish Lenin’s Testament, in which Stalin was heavily criticised.

Trotsky versus Stalin

Stalin (A.K.A Joseph Djugashvili):

• Joined the Bolsheviks in 1903 after a split in the Social Democratic Party.

• One of the few members of the Bolsheviks who came from a humble background and had a simple image – a true proletariat.

• After the Revolution, was put in charge of dealing with minority groups and races living within Russia. He was elected to the position of General Secretary of the Communist Party in 1922. This entitled him to a place in the Politburo.

• Ambitious and an excellent administrator.

• Appealed to those who were jealous and fearful of Trotsky and was greatly underestimated by them.

• Made the most of his position. He used it to appoint junior/local officials who would then support him. These people formed the backbone of the Party and elected the Politburo itself. By promoting friends he gained votes and was therefore able to control the Politburo.

• In contrast to Trotsky, realised that any policy which met the peoples’ wish for peace and stability would be popular. Hence his policy of “Socialism in one country” was announced in 1924 which said the Soviet Union must come first. He said the Communists must concentrate on building up Russia, not spending precious money elsewhere. If Russia was not made modern and powerful, other capitalist countries might easily band together and attack her. 

• Unlike Trotsky, he was willing to change policies to win popularity and make influential allies. Within the Politburo (e.g. Kamenev and Zinoviev who helped ensure Lenin’s Testament remained unpublished)

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• Viewed as an outsider by party intellectuals, coming from the distance province of Georgia. (His background is why Lenin thought him appropriate for the role tackling problems with Russia’s nationalities)

• He was a leading Bolshevik from around 1912 but was usually placed far away from the exciting events in Petrograd and Moscow.

• He played an obscure part in the November 1917 Revolution.

• He was an undistinguished commander in the Civil War.

• His role as General Secretary of the Communist Party was seen as unimportant.

• He was a poor speaker and an unoriginal speaker. His talent for administrative affairs was unlikely to inspire many.

• For a long period of time he was unknown to many in the Party. Unlike Trotsky, he lacked charisma. Colleagues called him ‘Comrad Filing Card’ or ‘Grey Blur’.

• He had a number of serious disagreements with Lenin close to Lenin’s death. Lenin was angry at the brutal methods Stalin used while in charge of putting down rebellious nationalities. He was furious at the way Stalin handed jobs to his supporters and condemned him in his will (although this was later hushed up).

Stalin (1879-1953)

Stalin, the ‘man of steel’, is one of the key figures of the twentieth century. He is virtually the only widely known figure from Russia in the 1930’s, despite the fact that he shared power and worked with other leaders. Like Mao, Hitler and Mussolini he came from humble origins and was able to gain unprecedented power. However, he outlasted other leading dictators of the time and seemed to concentrate real power more effectively than any of them, disposing of potential rivals and successors ruthlessly.

Stalin is often demonised due to the millions that died under his regime and the stifling influence of ‘Stalinism’ on Soviet life. Many have called his rule ‘totalitarian’. However, at the same time, his ruthlessness is credited with enabling the USSR to defeat Nazi Germany and drag Russia into the age of the space race. He is man about whom there are many contradictions. Furthermore, the fact that there are few surviving records of his own thoughts makes any assessment of him difficult.

• What are the contradictions of Stalin’s rule?
• What does ‘totalitarian’ mean?
• Copy out the members of the Politburo from the table below.

Research task

In 1924, following Lenin’s death, the men listed below ran the country between them However, by 1929 Stalin had established himself as dictator of Russia. How did he do this?